


Center of My Universe

by Rinienne



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, And Defeat Thanos, And Then Happy Steve Rogers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Daisy Johnson Is A Good Bro, Dark Steve Rogers, Fix-It, Internalized Homophobia, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Predicted Word Count: ~70k, Romance, Steve and Tony Fix Their Shit, Stucky IN SPACE!, Unexpected Parenthood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:22:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinienne/pseuds/Rinienne
Summary: As Thanos snapped his fingers, the universe was split in two, with halves of the galactic population ending on either side.Determined to reunite with Steve, Bucky ventures on a quest to return the world back to its prior state. Along the way, he finds redemption, makes new friends and gets a strange alien pet. Everything becomes more complicated as he meets a little girl with powers beyond his comprehension who needs his protection.Somewhere else, not knowing Bucky is still alive, Steve starts a journey of his own.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a plot heavy fic and my take on what should happen in Avenger 4.
> 
> There will be characters and ideas pulled from comic books featuring Bucky, but you don’t have to have any comic book knowledge. Some characters’ backgrounds are changed severely to fit MCU verse.
> 
> I don’t have a beta, so there will be typos. I’m sorry. You’re welcome to become my beta.

1

Bucky wanted to open a window.

It was such an easy action, it required only a few movements, a few electrical impulses in the brain sending signals to the muscles — Bucky knew a lot about how the brain worked, he’d learned it back in Wakanda, after his own one was wiped clean of HYDRA’s indoctrination.

Now this simple task seemed like way too much of an effort.

The air in the room was stiff, and it smelt of sweat, of alcohol, of rotten leftovers of food from the trash bin that hadn’t been taken out in weeks. Dishes sat in the sink for at least a month, a layer of colorful mold was covering some of them.

There was a number of health issues caused by mold, especially for someone with chronic respiratory problems. Bucky didn’t want to think about his source of knowledge for this one.

The illness wouldn’t get to him, however. But neither would alcohol, and Bucky wasn’t sure it was a fair trade. Still, if he continued to pour it into his system, it would take some of the edge. And so he continued to drink, hence most of the floor in the small apartment was littered with empty bottles.

There was a TV in front of him, working mostly as a background noise, the reporter on the screen saying something about public air transportation being slowly restored.

It was almost four months since Thanos had collected all six of the Infinity Stones and defeated the Avengers, wiping half of galactic population. It was less than a month since Bucky returned to America, unable to stand the memories of the time he’d spent with Steve in Wakanda.

Someone knocked on his door and Bucky went completely still. He wasn’t expecting guests, no one even knew he was living here. No one except—

“Open up, I know you’re home,” came Nick Fury’s voice from the other side.

Bucky pondered about pretending not being at home, maybe sneaking out of the window, so he wouldn’t have to deal with it. Then he decided against it, because Fury had ways of getting what he wanted from people, and Bucky would have to face him eventually.

“One second,” Bucky yelled getting up from the couch.

On the way to open the door, he glanced in a mirror in the tiny vestibule area, and he was greeted by a man he barely recognized. His greasy hair was falling way past his shoulders, beard was unkempt, shaggy, and dark circles permanently settled under his lifeless eyes.

Maybe Fury wasn’t going to recognize him either.

Sadly, luck wasn’t on his side. “Sergeant Barnes,” Fury greeted him, looking him up and down, before stepping through the threshold. “You look like shit.”

A few weeks ago, Fury had announced himself a director of S.H.I.E.L.D. again, throwing his nicely-timed and well-phrased propaganda about protecting the world into the mass. The mass was shaken and desperate enough to eat it up and ask for seconds.

A few days after that he asked Bucky to join them, and it seemed he still didn’t want to take no for an answer.

“Whatever you’re selling, I’m still not buying it,” he stated pointedly.

The director didn’t answer, his gaze sliding past Bucky onto the mess in the living room. “I gave you this apartment as a gesture of my good will. You at least could’ve taken a good care of it, instead turning the place into a dumpster.”

“If you want, I’ll vacate it,” Bucky replied, refusing to feel grateful for the gesture. He knew all too well it was exactly what Fury was aiming for.

Neither Fury’s posture, nor his expression betrayed his emotions. “You might think I want to ask because I have a use for your set of skills, and you would be correct. But would you believe if I said I also want you to stop trying to drown in own misery?” he asked glancing at the bottles on the floor.

“You put a lot of trust in a guy who tried to kill you once.”

“Who says anything about trust?” he raised an eyebrow. “We all learn from past mistakes. Plus, S.H.I.E.L.D. is much smaller organization now.”

Bucky almost laughed. “Is it difficult to lie with such a straight face and not pull any muscle?”

He had eyes and ears, he saw Fury’s most trusted agents placed in places of influence: private sector, SCI, military. Diehard S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists worked for years, greasing hands, earning favors. There were plenty of resources in Fury’s disposal now, and all while they operated in deeper shadows.

Fury gave him another appraising glance. “Was it Rogers who learned his sass from you or vice versa?”

“I’d like to think of it as a joined effort,” Bucky shrugged. “And speaking of Steve, he’d never been a big fan of your organization, why should I go against his wishes?”

“Well, Steve is not here, is he?” Fury retorted almost angrily, and Bucky froze, feeling as if stabbed by an icy knife, unable to even make a sound in response.

Bucky wanted to punch him. Yet, for all the anger, Fury sounded a little painted too, and just for a second Bucky was ready to believe the director wasn’t a cold, heartless pragmatic he’d always thought him to be.

Exhaling slowly, Fury shook his head. “No matter. This isn’t what I came here for,” he said managing to regain control of his reactions. He reached behind his back and pulled a backpack off his shoulders, practically shoving it into Bucky’s hands.

The bag itself was heavy, large in a way it was wide and flat and round—

“I can’t take this,” Bucky shook his head, realizing suddenly what he was given.

“Sure you can.”

“What about it being a governmental property and all?”

“Whatever’s left of it. I’ll tell them I lost it.”

Bucky bit his lower lip. “Wait, you aren’t trying to convince me to become...” he trailed off, shocked.

Furry only shrugged, before turning on his heel. “This place reeks, and I’m done talking to you,” he said and turned around, ready to step out of the apartment. “You know where to find me if anything.”

And then he was gone, leaving Bucky standing in the hallway with his mouth open.

When he finally came to his senses, he returned to the living room. Flopping onto the couch, he held the backpack close to his chest. He wasn’t sure how long he spent like that, embracing it, feeling as if the cold of the metal was sipping through the thick nylon.

Slowly, he unzipped the bag, his flesh and bone hand landing on the smooth surface that almost burned against his skin. He started to pull it out, his entire body shaking, vision blurring from tears as he saw the familiar colors. There were scratches on the shield’s surface, the paint scraped from the metal. Some parts of it were charred, the black soot sticking to Bucky’s fingers as he traced each flaw.

He hated Fury, hated to be left with this reminder of how Steve gave up everything to protect him, and how he was willing to give even more to protect everyone else, only to fail, only to crumble into a pile of dust right before Bucky’s eyes.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks, and his grip on the shield loosened, the metal disc falling onto the ground under his feet. It should’ve been him, he should've died there, not Steve.

Sliding from the couch, he kneeled before the shield, punching it with his metal arm as hard as he could, scratching the old paintwork even further. Then again, and again, until his body started to give out, pain settling in his shoulder from the stress on the few real bones that was left in it.

Leaning his forehead against the cold surface, Bucky started to cry, his entire body shaking from the soundless sobs.

He wasn’t sure how long he spent like this, but at some point the tears stopped. He laid on the floor, looking over the empty bottles around him. He hadn’t noticed it before but the carpet also reeked, making him wonder what did he managed to spill there and how many times. It was a potent stench, almost sickening, and he had to take a breath through his mouth not to throw up.

Gritting his teeth, Bucky forced himself to stand up. He picked the backpack, intending to return the shield back inside, so he wouldn’t have to look at it again, but noticed there was something else there. Reaching in, he pulled out a folder that contained some files and a sketchbook from the very bottom of the backpack.

He took the file from the folder first. They were old, containing every single detail about the foundation of S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn’t new information, at least not all of it, but Bucky was fairly sure some of it had never been leaked to the public, and was most likely classified.

Why Fury had given it to him, Bucky had not a slightest idea.

His eyes stopped finally on a piece of paper that was yellow from age, ink was starting to fade with years. Still, Bucky had no doubt the letter was original, and the handwriting was very familiar.

_ “The HYDRA is defeated, but we know now the threat to humanity lingers. That is why our division should become more, should expand. We need to not only protect people of Earth, but become a symbol of that protection, inspire. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division would become out new name. S.H.I.E.L.D. _

_ Agent Margaret Carter” _

Bucky moved the fingers over the ink, sighing. Peggy was the one who came up with the name, and Bucky smirker understanding why she'd picked it. He missed her greatly, but there was nothing he could do to bring the time of their friendship back.

Next he took the notebook. Opening it, he saw a drawings which he immediately recognized as Steve’s. There was a lot of urban landscapes, mostly buildings from New York City, but some were from Birnin Zana. In fact, at least half of the notebook was filled with images of Wakanda, of its fields and mountains, animals. And Bucky.

He didn’t expect it, but there was a lot of drawings of him, of his small herd of goats and some friends both of them had made among the local children. Carefully, he moved his fingers over the paper, over own features pondering when Steve even had time to draw.

Even if they hurt, they were good memories, and Bucky found himself smiling though more tears.

“Punk,” he laughed quietly as he closed the book and walked towards the window, opening it, letting fresh air into the apartment for the first time in weeks.

Well, it was a start.

2

The Triskelion looked almost brand new, restored in the last half of a decade, to the point it was impossible to tell a helicarrier once collided with the building. Its interior was bright. At a glance it felt as if every surface here was made of glass, which was a strange choice considering the place contained more secrets than Bucky had ever wanted to know. On a second glance, however, the seeming transparency was a lie, there were more secret panels and hidden corners that anyone could expect.

Even with Fury’s resourcefulness S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't what it used to be before Hydra attempted to take over. At the same time, it was much bigger than the director made the public believe. The upheaval of governmental structure and the ongoing general chaos played roles in its comeback too.

There were people here, agents stopping in their tracks, staring at Bucky with almost open mouths, as he was strolling down the corridor. He’d made himself presentable, bathed, shaved off his beard, leaving only a light stubble and combed his hair. Still, there were plenty of reasons for them to gape: his black leather jacket that was missing a sleeve around his metal arm, and he was carrying the Captain America shield strapped to his back.

That, and also the fact he used to be a known terrorist at some point.

There were several security points, but as soon as someone tried to stop him Agent Hill appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as if she’d been expecting him. “Ah, Sergeant Barnes. Looks like you’re just in time,” she nodded at Bucky to follow her, seeming a little annoyed, and he wondered if he was the cause of her mood, or if it was just the general attitude.

She led him into a large conference room, that might have also been an office, with one table standing separately near a large window, a view on Potomac opening beneath it. The glass itself was tinted, and every wall was painted gray, which made the room appear dark.

One of the walls was entirely occupied with a large holographic screen that floated several inches away from its surface. Fury himself stood next to it, a rather big mug in his hands, attention solemnly focused on the projection. He looked up only once to glance at Bucky and Hill, before turning away again. “Agent Barnes, welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he greeted flatly.

“I’m not an agent,” Bucky pointed out. “I haven't yet made the decision.”

Fury looked at him again, taking a slow sip from his drink. “Oh really,” he hummed looking behind Bucky at the shield on his back, making it feel heavier under his intense stare.

“Alright then,” it was Hill’s turn to interject into the conversation. There was a tablet in her hands, and she started to poke it with her fingers. “I’m going to assign the first level of clearance—”

“Eighth,” Furry interrupted her, sounding casual, as if he just requested her to pass a piece of paper from the other table.

“I beg your pardon, sir?” Hill raisen an eyebrow, not even trying to hide surprise from her voice. “I think there’s something with the acoustic in this particular room, because I just misheard you saying something.”

“You didn’t misheard. Eighth level clarence. And I need you to call in Agent Simmons for the mission debriefing.”

Hill stared at him in shock for a moment. “Sir. I’m usually willing to trust your judgment, but this is absolutely unprecedented,” she pointed out disapprovingly.

“Losing half of the galactic population is unprecedented either, but here we are,” Fury pointed out with a sign. His shoulders sulked, and for the first time Bucky was able to see how tired he looked. Yet, he regained his posture almost immediately, returning to project an air of confidence.

Hill nodded finally and did something with the tabled, the device in her hands beeping quietly in the silence that followed. “Done and done.”

There was a knock on the door a few short moments later, as if the person summoned here waited somewhere nearby. A fairly young woman with a lost expression on her face entered the room. She held a small computer, a stack of tablets and folders in her hands, cradling it all to her chest like they were of the utmost importance. Then again, maybe they were.

“Oh my god, it’s you,” she gaped at Bucky. Her eyes went wide, awestruck, which made him squirm a little, not used to this kind of attention. “Oh, I mean, I’m sorry, I just heard so much about you, and you’d known Captain America pretty much since you were kids, and—“

“Agent Simmons,” Fury’s booming voice interrupted her rant.

“Oh, right, yes,” she nodded before proceeding towards the end of the room where the table stood, starting to place everything she brought onto it.

“There was a reason I tried so hard to convince you to join us,” Fury started to talk meanwhile turning his attention back to Bucky. “There is a mission, something that would require both brain and brawl, as well as a fair amount of covert action.”

“And you decided I’m the man for the job,” Bucky nodded in acknowledgment.

Fury was smart and cunning, and Bucky expected to be asked to become one of the agents helping his organization regain its former glory. No one ever talked about it, but sometimes it required getting hands dirty: making some people change their mind or disappear. Bucky was very good at this kind of operations, but he hated it. If that was what required of him, he wasn’t going to agree, and the director was going to deal with it.

“I need you to bring back everyone we’ve lost,” Fury replied instead.

Bucky stared at him in complete silence, his eyes going wide, his jaw dropping. “What?” He managed finally.

Fury turned to nod at Simmons, who by this point managed to connect her computer to the holographic screen, some images that made little sense to Bucky appearing on it.

“We were monitoring the energy signatures from the Infinity Stones,” she started nodding at something on the screen. “When Thanos used the gauntlet, an enormous amount of energy was released, and our lab was actually able to get readings of it,” she talked fast and excited, barely pausing to breathe.

Then she brought up a green graph, which looked like a picture of sound waves from the physics textbook Bucky had had back when he was in school. The graph remainder still for several seconds, then started to shake, split into two. Slowly, two new graphs began moving away from each other, and one of them started to dissipate, becoming more and more transparent until disappearing completely.

“This, this is the reading of energy interacting with space around it, well, actually, it’s a little bit reinterpreted for a better visualization, but that’s a very decent interpretation.”

Simmons stopped and smiled. She looked at Bucky expectedly, as if he was supposed to understand the very meaning of life from her words and several images.

“So?” Bucky tilted his head.

“Energy. Interacting with space... and it was split into two absolutely identical wavelengths. We’re talking parallel dimensions!”

Bucky nodded slowly. He’d heard about the concept before, yet he still wasn’t entirely sure what it meant in their situation.

“Half of the universe didn’t just die,” Fury explained. “We were split apart. And now we need to find a way to combine two universes back together.”

Bucky felt as if he couldn’t breath, as if all the air was punched out of his lungs. If it was true, it meant that every single person thought to be killed by Thanos snapping his fingers was alive, just in an alternative reality. Steve was alive. He was alive, and Bucky might be able to see him again.

“I’ll take it you’re completely on board with starting the mission as soon as possible,” Fury smirked knowingly.

“Is there anything else?” Bucky asked. He wasn’t even worried he could sound desperate, ready to do whatever it takes now.

Agent Simmons pressed a button and now a picture of the galaxy was on the screen. No, it wasn’t just a picture it was an actual map, with locations marked in red, glowing dots. “It is strange, but the main energy outburst didn’t come from the stones themselves, it generated here.”

A red dot started to blink right over the very center of the galaxy, and Bucky raised an eyebrow. “In any other circumstances, I would assume you wanted me to investigate it.”

“This is exactly what we want from you,” Fury confirmed. He tried to sound casual, but there was a tinies slip in his intonation that led Bucky to believe the man was a little bit amused at the situation.

Bucky just stared at him. He knew about aliens and their ships, but Earth had no comparable way of transportation, so he wondered if S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to salvage something. “I might’ve been born over a hundred years ago, but I am aware how far that is.”

The map changed a little, and several blue dots appeared between them and the center of the galaxy, a thinner line going through them like some sort of a pathway. “There are many wormholes that would cut the journey to about a week, maybe less,” Simmons said. “Most of them are in neutral territories, but one is controlled by a race called Pao’Ree.”

“We’d managed to make a contact with them, and it does seem they are on board with granting a passage, but we need more,” Fury chimed in. “They have technology that can help navigate through what is practically a giant field of black holes. Or they know where to obtain this technology, because otherwise nothing can survive where you’re headed.”

“Great,” Bucky nodded, still not quite ready to believe everything that was happening. Parallel dimensions, people making contact with alien races, space travel. It felt like a strange dream, and one part of him was childishly exited, while the other part worried it was going to turn into a nightmare any moment.

He exhaled slowly, trying not to give away any of his emotions, then he thought about something else. “You knew I would agree to take this mission without a second thought, why couldn’t you tell me about it from the start, instead of trying to convince me to join S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Fury smirked again, and if on any other day this expression annoyed Bucky, now he found himself caring little. “You would, sure. But I needed to see if you was ready to start saving everyone, not just Captain Rogers.”

Bucky bit his lower lip and looked away. It was way too much of a giveaway of his emotions, more than he was comfortable with, but he couldn’t stop the reaction. “When can I start?”

“You will be given some basic training on operating a ship and navigating in space for he next week before your departure. You will talk with our armorers and engineers and will be given any weapons you deem necessary for the mission.”

Bucky nodded. One week seemed like too much time, but he needed the training. Hydra had uploaded a lot of manuals into his brain, but operating a spaceship wasn’t one of them.

“And one more thing,” Fury added sipping from his mug again. “You will be given a partner.”

3

The elevators in the building were surprisingly slow. There was a good view on the city from each of them, but Bucky could imagine even that becoming tiresome after a while. At least they could’ve played some music.

As the door opened on one of the sublevel floors, Bucky was greeted with a familiar face.

“Oh, look who decided to finally show up,” was the first thing out of Sam Wilson’s mouth, the man himself looking him up and down as if unsure if he need to be happy about their meeting, or prepare for a fight. He and Bucky had never managed to become close friends. The tie that was binding them was Steve, their common desire to do anything to help him, and it always felt like enough to develop mutual respect.

Bucky wanted to say something back, tell he was mourning his best friend, unlike some other people who seemed to be less affected. He didn’t want to turn it into a competition about who liked Steve more, so he simply glared. “Don’t tell me _you_ are my mysterious partner.”

“Oh, hell no!” Sam protested, sounding scandalized. “You and me in a cramped space for weeks? One of us will end up dead, and I know my limitations to say it ain't gonna be you.” He gestured for Bucky to follow and turned around starting to lead him down a long corridor. “Quake’s not here at the moment, it’s all I know.”

Bucky nodded, more to himself than anything else, because Sam was ahead of him and couldn't see it. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. “Did you know about Steve being alive? From the start?” he asked.

Sam didn’t answer at once, huffing something incoherent instead. “I knew it for like a week,” he said after a moment. “Fury didn’t allow me to say a word to you, said he wanted you to join first, the sick bastard.”

“And you now follow his orders?”

Sam grunted. “Well, it’s either that or lock myself in four walls and drink myself to sleep every night.”

Bucky wanted to ask which one of them he really meant, pondering if he should get angry, but Sam interrupted his line of thoughts. “I would’ve told ya, I swear. If you wasn’t going to show up for another few days. Fury and his policies be damned.”

“I... thank you,” Bucky sighed. Perhaps, they were a little antagonistic towards each-other, but if didn’t mean he needed to be rude.

“Don’t mention.”

They continued to walk in silence until reaching a metal door. Sam opened it with a touch of his finger against a panel that scanned his prints. The door slid out of the way, a row of luminescent lamps starting to come to life on the ceiling one by one, revealing a rather large room filled with weapon stands.

All of the guns here were new, both in a sense no-one had used them beyond standard testing, and they were all new models. Bucky was able to easily tell it by picking up a rifle closest to him, examining it under the bright light of the armory.

“I’m gonna go ahead and guess you don’t need my help picking new toys,” Sam shrugged looking over the stands.

“Weapons aren’t toys,” Bucky pointed out, more to annoy Sam than anything else, having to hold himself from smirking.

“You’re always the cheery one.”

Bucky placed the riffle back and sighed. “Actually, I need something that would support wider range of ammunition, including non-lethal.”

Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Okaaay,” he nodded slowly before turning around and moving towards one corner of the room, starting to go through their options. Afterwards, he pulled a variety of weapons, depositing them on a workbench.

After careful examination, Bucky picked three small handguns, two assault rifles and a sniper rifle, the last one being his favorite choice. All of them needed additional work, modifications that would allow Bucky to use them to full capacity.

“Anything else?” Sam asked sounding a little amused.

Bucky pondered for a moment, his metal index finger tapping against the surface of the workbench. “Yeah,” he nodded rolling the shoulder of his metal arm. “A paint job.”

***

When Bucky heard the name Quake, he imagined a rather large man, a walking mound of muscles in metal armor, so big the ground would tremble under his each step.

What Quake actually looked was as far away from this image as it was only possible. Not that Bucky complained.

He stood in the hangar looking over the _Archeopteryx,_ the ship he was going to fly tomorrow, when a young woman approached him. She greeted him with a warm smile, offering him a hand. “You must be Sergeant Barnes. I’m Daisy, nice to meet you.”

She was neither tall nor short, slender. Her slightly curly hair was cut short, barely reaching her shoulders. She was dressed in black leather jacket and black cargo pants with a multitude of belts and buckles, and silver bracelets were on her wrists. It almost looked like they matched.

Her posture was confident, but she seemed rather relaxed at the same time. There was recognition in her eyes as she was looking at him, but nothing else, and it left Bucky with an impression she knew his backstory, but didn’t care. Somehow, it put him at ease around her. It felt like a decent start.

“It’s Bucky,” he shook her hand. “I take it you’re Quake?”

“One and only,” she grinned. “Sorry about getting here so late. We almost had no time to get to know each other.”

“I think we’ll have plenty of time for it,” Bucky shrugged nodding at the ship again.

The _Archeopteryx_ stood in the very center of the hangar surrounded by workers, who were completing the last tests of its systems. It was impressive, gray in color but with a tint of something golden, rather slick. It looked a lot like a standard S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet but with some changes, like bigger fuselage. There were moving sections on the wings that from afar looked like bird feathers, and Bucky wondered if it was where the ship got its name from.

Daisy chuckled. “You know, I was half-afraid our partnership was going to be like a movie cliché. You know, with you saying you work alone and don’t need a partner, and then we’d end up kicking ass together.”

Bucky hummed. He wasn’t completely caught up with modern cinematography, but the trope was common enough that he knew what she meant. “Believe it or not, I work well with somebody else.” The two years with Howling Commandos flashed before his eyes, every single memory of fighting alongside Steve. It weren’t painful memories anymore, but hopeful.

The smile Daisy gave him was understanding, a little sad but not pitying, and any last doubt about them being able to work as a team disappeared.

“Speaking of which,” Bucky said. “What is your speciality? Long range? Hand to hand? I need to know my partner’s strength.”

The grin that followed the question told Bucky he was in for quite a ride.

***

When he was young, Bucky liked science fiction to an extent. He always enjoyed that kind of movies, and even had read a few books, although he’d deny it if anyone ever asked.

Now, as he felt the engines of an actual spaceship buzzing quietly under his feet, he couldn't help but worry a little. There were so many things that could go wrong with this mission. He was venturing in the absolute unknown with several guns and an electronic translator in his ear.

Bucky embraced this fear, because after months of feeling nothing, any emotion was good. Plus, he wasn’t alone.

“Ready?” Daisy asked him starting to flip switches around her station.

“As ready as I can be,” Bucky replied starting to power up his side.

“Space’s not so bad. Better than time travel anyway,” Daisy shrugged speaking as it was a matter of fact, as if she was doing this every other weekend.

“Oh, now you’re just showing off.”

The _Archiopteryx_ rattled a little as the hangar door above their head started to open, some of the water from the river cascading inside, splashing over the ship. Bucky pulled a lever and they moved into the launch position.

Steve’s shield wasn’t with them in the cockpit, but the white star in blue and red circles was now painted on his shoulder. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he could feel it over the vibranium of his arm. It calmed him, soothed his nerves, and for the first time in a long while he found himself wanting to openly smile.

Fury was right not to bring the dimensions when he recruited him, because now Bucky wanted to do this not only for Steve, but for everyone else who’d lost their loved once. Most importantly, he wanted... _needed_ to prove it to himself there was something good left in him, that, at the end of the day, he could deserve something nice too.

There was a countdown, then the _Archaeopteryx_ launched upwards, and Bucky’s uncertainty was replaced with determination.

“You think they saw it too?” Daisy asked as they watched the sky becoming darker and darker, the atmosphere starting to thin around them. “I mean people in the other dimension. Do you think they saw us disintegrating the way we saw them do? Do you think they figured out we aren’t dead?”

Bucky frowned at her words and thought about his friend again. They were in front of each-other when it happened, Bucky rushing to Steve’s aid. If it was what happened, it must’ve been hell for Steve after everything he’d gave up.

“The other side got the best scientists. Stark, Banner, Shuri of Wakanda,” Bucky reassured, feeling like he was doing it for both of them. “There’s no way they haven’t realized it yet.”

Daisy offered him a smile and a nod, before both of them turned to the portview again, watching their ship flying further and further away from home.

4

The thugs that surrounded Steve didn’t have a single clue who they were dealing with. Granted, he was also not entirely sure, given none of them were human, but all their bulk and skin spikes turned out to be just for show in the end.

Their confrontation was a short one, and Steve found himself regretting not taking his time, finding his muscles already starting to miss the exertion of a fight. He slammed the last thug against the metal wall, hard enough he knew it was painful, but not enough to knock the guy out.

“I can crack you scull with my bare hand,” he said calmly, his heart barely picking up its tempo, his breathing still even. “So you better tell me where was the last place you saw your boss.”

“You’re insane,” the guy wheezed, and Steve slammed his head on the wall again to accent his point. The alien grunted in pain, his hand coming up to try prying Steve’s hand away from his reptile-looking face, but to no avail. “I don’t know!”

Another slam.

“Vormir!” the thug cried out. “He went there before Earth. And it was for something important. Maybe there’ll be a clue. Something! Please, just let me go!” he pleaded and Steve granted his wish, the creature falling to his knees.

Steve was looking at him for a moment then turned around and started to walk away. “Let’s go, we have a new destination,” he ordered his companion.

Rocket looked at him unsure, his ears flattened to his head. He hesitated for a moment before shuffling after Steve. “You know,” he said quietly. “I’ve been a bounty hunter for years, faced monsters you can’t even start to imagine and laughed in their faces.”

“Is there a point to it?” Steve grunted in displeasure.

“You scare the crap out of me,” the raccoon shivered.

This confession should’ve stopped Steve on his tracks, should’ve made him feel horrified. Instead he felt hollow, empty, and so he ignored Rocket’s words. He didn’t have time for it, he needed to find Thanos. And when he did, he was going to kill him.

Or, at least, die trying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of people who'd read the first chapter was really underwhelming =(  
> I still want to finish it, but I'm significantly cutting down the plot, and removing some characters, just focusing on the main ark. Also gonna add sex scene, maybe that would attract people.

1

The blanket of space was spreading before Bucky’s eyes as far as he could see. There was gravity inside the ship that matched earthen atmosphere, but looking into the portview he couldn’t even tell what direction they were moving, could only guess where was up and where was down.

After passing through several wormholes, Bucky wasn’t even sure if they were moving at all, and his body felt rather strange after each jump, as if someone grabbed and thoroughly shook him.

“We will be approaching Mer-Z-Bow in about twelve hours,” Daisy said looking over sensors at her station sounding rather bored.

The _Archaeopteryx_ was a surprisingly spacious ship, capable of holding a crew larger than two people. They had a lounge area with couches, large TV, pool table and a small bar. A level below even had a gym. Still, after almost a week, Bucky was starting to feel a little cramped and a whole lot of bored, and finally getting his feet off the ship sounded like something good.

“Now we just need to wait and hope they’re in a technology sharing mood,” he sighed.

They carried gold, which was supposed to be valued in every part of the galaxy. They also had schematics for the Stark’s arc reactor, the bigger version of it anyway. Of course, they couldn’t ask for Stark’s permission, but desperate times required desperate measures.

“Well, good thing I’m here,” Daisy pointed out with a smug smile.

Bucky knew their plan well. If they were going to be refused, Daisy would access their computer network, so she could hack into their systems and steal what they needed.

“Or you could just try charming our way in,” she proposed.

“Afraid I’m not a person for the job here,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“That’s strange, all the biographies of you mention you were quite a ladies’ man.”

Bucky snorted at that. “I need to read it one day. Who knows how many more fascinating facts I can discover about myself. What else am I good at?” he asked turning to look through the portview again.

The picture didn’t change much, but it was still a good view. Better even than that one time he and Steve were on a reconnaissance mission together. They’d been stuck in a middle of some meadow in France, Hydra troops surrounding them from at least three sides. The sky had been so clear that night, and they ended up laying for almost an hour in the grassy field, simply watching the stars, not even talking.

“Well, there’s not much in the biographies, really,” Daisy continued, and there was something almost evil in her expression, plotting. “The online forums are full of rumors, on the other hand,”

Bucky wanted to ask what these rumors were about, even if something was telling him it was a bad idea. Before he could even open his mouth, however, a red light began blinking on the panel between their stations, both of them turning in its direction.

“Looks like a distress signal,” Daisy said, opening the message. It was an audio file, corrupted and barely coherent. It played in original language first, which sounded a little like cat hissing. Then the onboard computer was able to translate bits and pieces.

It was still difficult to understand, only several words, like help, pirate atack and something that was probably a name.

“There are coordinates, you think we should check it out?” Daisy asked. She opened a map, inputting the received data. “The detour will add a day to our trip.”

There was a part of Bucky that didn’t want it, telling it was a risk and waste of time. He knew it was Hydra’s training talking, so he shoved it as far as he could. There was no way a man he used to be, still wanted to be, would refuse to help someone in need. “I hate bullies,” he muttered, because that was what pirates were. “Let’s do it.”

***

The coordinates brought them to an edge of a remote solar system. After some scanning, they were able to detect a massive spaceship drifting in an orbit of a local star. It was several times bigger than the _Archaeopteryx_ , but looked like it’d seen better days. The sides of it were scorched, a large chunk of the hull was torn, and Bucky could actually see insides of the ship.

They were too late.

“There’s something interfering with out scanners,” Daisy said quietly. She was typing frantically on a keyboard, her fingers moving with almost inhuman speed. “I can clear it a little. I think there are still some life forms inside.”

“We need to go in, there might be survivors,” Bucky said starting to carefully move the _Archeopteryx_ to line up with the side of the derelict ship.

There were several hatches he could see, he picked one on that seemed closer to the ship’s bow, extending a boarding bridge between them. It wasn’t the best attempt, the bridge ending up attaching a little skewed, but they could pass through, and it was what mattered.

The space suits they were given were also based on Stark’s design. It had neither weapons, not propulsion system, lacking the arc reactor to power it all. But it was durable, could take hits and had a good supply of breathable air. It was also very easy to put on, just slap one of the pieces to the wrist and the rest was starting to move on it’s own.

“That’s pretty neat,” Daisy said from behind a metal mask, her voice coming into Bucky’s earpiece.

“I don’t like it,” Bucky shook his head. “I have no idea how Stark was moving around in all this bulk.” It was pretty comfortable to walk, but anything more than that was going to be difficult. Not to mention it did horrible things to stealth. He moved his arms around, before picking up the assault rifle, checking its magazine. “I hope we won’t need to—”

“Don’t you dare to jinx it,” Daisy interrupted him, poking her binger into the center of Bucky’s chest.

He grunted in response, and turned around starting to walk down the boarding bridge.

It took a lot of effort to open the hatch. Daisy had a lot of difficulties with hacking a panel next to it. She sounded a little annoyed through the intercom, exhaling loudly as none of the combinations she picked seemed to work.

Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, the panel beeped, turning green. The hatch hissed quietly and slid out of the way, revealing an airlock on another side. It still seemed to be functioning, and the room started to fill with air the moment the outside hatch was closed.

Checking the suit’s sensors and making sure they were no longer in vacuum, Bucky tapped a button on the helmet, the metal pieces retracting, moving away from his face. He saw Daisy doing the same, before both of them stepped inside the ship.

“It seems the life support and gravity generators are still operational, but the rest of the systems are completely down,” Daisy commented scanning their surroundings.

There were emergency lights under their feet, but they were dim, illuminating the way poorly. At least it was enough to navigate without stumbling into walls. It was also very quiet in here, only some barely audible humm of life support systems echoing through the corridors. Somewhere in the distance, Bucky could hear scratching sounds, but it was impossible to tell what was making them.

The layout of the ship was fairly simple, and the hull had a lot of open space. After the short corridor ended, they entered what appeared to be an empty lounging area with two more hatches leading out. Or it used to have the hatches, because now there were just gaping holes in their places, the doors laying nearbuy, seemingly tore off their hinges.

Turning the flashlights on their weapons, they carefully moved into the next section, finding themselves on the ship’s bridge.

“Oh god,” Daisy gasped.

There were obvious signs of a battle in here. Some of the panels were broken, bullet holes decorating metal walls. Some of the areas were charred, as if there was fire at some point. Unlike the lounge, it wasn’t empty, bodies were laying on the floor, some still sitting in their chairs, dark pools under many of them.

Bucky moved to the closest one, crouching before what looked like a human. “Dead,” he sighed, not needing to even check the vitals, the body was already cold, and there was a giant gaping hole in the man’s chest.

One by one, he checked every person on the bridge, but none of them were alive, and he cursed under his breath, feeling helpless.

“There might still be survivors here. Someone might’ve hid or wasn’t severely injured in a fight,” Daisy shook her head. Then she moved to one of the still functioning panels, blue holographic screen coming to life at a touch of her finger. “Let me try to see what I can do here.”

Something buzzed above Bucky’s head, and lights on the bridge came to life, revealing the picture around them was even more gruesome than it seemed at first glance. There was blood everywhere, some bodies were missing limbs. It didn't’ even look like whatever killed these people was human.

“You ok?” Bucky asked seeing Daisy closing her eyes, taking several deep breath. He could understand her. He’d seen violence, a lot of it, but this was making him sick on his stomach from the brutality of it.

“I will be,” she nodded slowly.

“Can you find more information about the ship? Where it was headed, the duty roster, what cargo it was carrying,” Bucky inquired turning back to the exit, his rifle ready.

“And where are you going?”

“Will make a quick swipe for survivors.”

Daisy was looking at him closely, mistrust in her eyes. “You aren’t leaving me here because you think I can’t handle myself in a fight?”

“No,” Bucky replied. It wasn’t entirely true, because he was worried about her safety, and felt more confident about sneaking around alone. “Because we need the information, and it took me half an hour to figure out how to upload music to my phone.”

If Daisy didn’t believe him, she didn't show it, turning to the screens instead. “I’m going to stay in contact,” she tapped at her earpiece.

Bucky made a sound of agreement and stepped back into the lounge, checking the hole on the other side of it. He found himself in living quarters next. There were signs of combat here too, but no people, no dead bodies. It looked similar to the bridge, but some of the walls were also bent in here, as if something really big was going through.

Whatever it was, Bucky hoped it wasn’t still on board.

Then he heard the scratching noise again, same like before but closer. “Daisy, can there be rats on a spaceship?” he asked more hearing than seeing something small running past.

“Maybe alien rats. I wouldn’t be surprised,” she replied. “Why?”

“Just saw something,” he replied, noting the scratching sound was gone now. “Maybe they had a pet?”

Daisy made a strange grunting sound. “I just thought of at least five different horror movies. Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Bucky chuckled. He wasn’t worried about it, because it was obvious whatever killed the crew was not tiny.

The living area of the ship ended, and Bucky found himself before an elevator platform. It seemed Daisy managed to reroute enough power into this section, because it looked operational. Yet, if there were still hostiles on board, Bucky didn’t want to attract attention, so he slid carefully down the ladder next to it.

He found more bodies on the lower level, but these didn’t look human. Most of them were humanoid of different sizes and shapes, different skin colors. They also weren’t killed the same way the crew on the bridge was. The wounds were stabbing, dealt with almost surgical precision. One of the aliens still had a dagger sticking out its chest. Pulling it out, Bucky noted it was a short, straight blade perfectly balanced for throwing.

“Bucky,” Daisy called him, her voice shaking suddenly with worry. “We need to turn around and leave. Now.”

“Why?” he asked noticing only now he was in what looked like another crew quarters area, but different. There were no doors leading into tiny rooms, but each had wires coming out of the doorframes, as if powering something. Force fields?

“This is not a cargo ship,” Daisy practically hissed with urgency. “It’s a bounty hunters’ ship, they were transporting criminals.”

She barely had time to finish the sentence, when something small flew in Bucky’s direction. He managed to dodge it in time, the object hitting the floor of the ship with a metal chink. Immediately, he spun around, shooting in the direction the throw came from.

It seemed he managed to hit something, heard grunting, before someone leaped at him from the shadows. Bucky tried to dodge, and he was sure he did, except someone else kicked him from behind, sending him flying towards the floor.

“There’s a log,” Daisy continued sounding out of breath, as if she was running now. “The fight broke up about half an hour _before_ they sent a distress signal.”

Bucky spun around, seeing now a tall, dark-haired man dressed in black and green clothes leaping at him, two more knives gleaming in his hands. Not having enough time to move, Bucky blocked the man’s strike with his metal arm. Both of the knives slid through the parts of his spacesuit like it was made of cardboard, but they were blocked by the vibranium, sparks from the friction flying in every direction.

It surprised his attacker, his eyes going wider. Bucky used his distraction and kicked him in the gut, shooting him twice for a good measure. The man grunted again and rolled off of him.

“Whoever sent the distress signal, they wanted us here. It’s a trap!”

Bucky jumped to his feet, his gun pointed at his attacker, who was now laying on the floor, holding his stomach, yet still fully conscious. “Is that,” he hissed glaring from under the locks of his black hair. “S.H.I.E.L.D. tranquilizer bullets?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, now confused at the situation too. He was still looking at the man, when he felt someone wrapping an arm around his neck, cold metal pressed against his skin. “I thought they felt familiar,” the man said into his ear, the version of him on the ground dissapaiting.

Bucky grabbed him by the arm, spinning him around. The guy was smaller than him, but somehow he managed to grab into Bucky in a way it send both of them tumbling to the ground.

“Stop it!” he hissed. “I had no idea who you were when I ambushed you, so let’s do each-other a favor and get the hell out of here before—”

He didn’t finish the sentence, because the next instance everything around them shook, a low but loud roar vibrating thought every particle of Bucky’s being.

“How nice of you to come here,” a booming voice came from the other side of the room, and a green scaled snout appeared from the shadows. It was followed by a large reptilian body, that was barely fitting in the space between floor and ceiling. The image was completed with a massive tail and bat wings. It made the creature look a little like a dragon, except humanoid in shape, standing proudly on two feet, metal plating covering his chest.

“—you woke this guy up,” the black haired man finished. “Oh dear.”

Bucky was up from the ground immediately, his rifle turning to the reptilian monster, sending a barrage of bullets into its direction. All of them hit the alien square in the chest, but he didn’t even flinch, only grinned, rows of sharp teeth glistening in its maw.

A beam of shimmering energy passed over Bucky’s head. It enveloped the monster and pushed him down to his knees. “Get onto the elevator!” Daisy’s voice came from somewhere behind.

“Well, you don’t need to tell me twice,” the man in black and green clothes said before getting up and starting to run.

Bucky turned around and followed him, slamming the up button as soon as his feet were on the platform. The giant reptile was still immobilized by the energy that was coming from Daisy’s hands, yet it was obvious it was taking her a lot of effort to hold the thing pinned.

“Oh, you must be Quake. I’ve heard about you,” their new acquaintances grinned. “And the one with the metal arm. The Winter Soldier.”

“Loki,” Daisy hissed through her teeth.

Bucky heard about the asgardian too, mostly bad things. Still, he didn't have time to think about it, because the lizard man pushed against his bonds and got free the moment they reached the second level, Daisy losing the line of sight with him.

“Tell me you didn’t powered down your ship before boarding,” Loki groaned as the three of them started to run towards the boarding bridge.

Before anyone could respond, the floor behind them burst open, the reptilian crawling out of it. Immediately, he started to charge in their direction, gaining on them way too fast.

This wasn’t good, they weren’t going to make it. Bucky started to already think how he could use the surroundings to their advantage, maybe trick him into a cage.

Something small and furry, about the size of a cat, fell from the ceiling and onto the monster. The reptilian whaled in surprize and... “That tickles! Get off of me!” he roared trying to catch whatever landed on its hide. His attempts to grab it slowed him down, and, by the time he succeeded, the three of them managed to reach the the hatch leading to the _Archaeopteryx_.

As soon as the reptilian caught the the small creature, he hurled it in their direction. It landed under Bucky’s feet with a pained squeak, and without thinking, he picked it up, taking it with them on board of own ship.

“Get us out of here!” Loki commanded.

“No one’s asking you!” Daisy retorted, yet she was already jumping into the pilot chair, pushing the forwards thrusters to the maximum, the ship reeling under their feet, everything shaking. There was a lot of noise coming from the boarding bridge, the metal tearing apart as they started to pull away without first retracting it.

Finally, they tore away and started to fly. Bucky almost sighed in relief, when something hit them, all the sensors on board stating to flash red.

“He’s shooting at us!” Daisy yelled.

Bucky looked at the screens, the rearview cameras catching the reptilian standing at the open hatch, holding a giant railgun in his hands.

“Can you make a quick maneuver to the right?” Loki asked leaning over Daisy’s chair. “I can get us out. On my command. One. Two. Go!”

Daisy pushed the yoke to the right as far as she could, the _Archaeopteryx_ turning to fly into... five different directions. There were several identical ships around them now, and looking through the porthole, Bucky would’ve never been able to tell the difference.

“Well, now that’s should buy us enough time to get out of his range. You’re very welcome by the way!”

Daisy turned to Loki and quickly reached out. Both of his hands were resting on the backrest of her chair, and she took him completely by surprise slapping a pair of handcuffs, which Bucky had no idea she had, onto his wrists. “Thank you!” she smiled innocently at the asgardian.

2

The wind was howling at the ridge of a mountain. The sky was dark, heavy and it felt like it was going to open any moment, a few first droplets of rain already reaching the ground.

“Don’t think that I’m trying to stop your plot of vengeance,” Rocket sighed eyeing the slope. “But it’s gonna be a null point if you just gonna slip up and fall to your death here.”

The racoon was huddling against the side of their junker ship, trying to hide from the weather, shivering.

Even with his fast metabolism, Steve felt the cold too. It wasn’t really freezing, and he’d camped in worse conditions, but it was an uncomfortable sensation. He hated to admit it, but Rocket was right. They managed to find a spot to land closest to the summit, and there was a pathway leading up. Still it was risky to continue if the rain was going to start.

Steve pondered if they could camp here or find another spot. He almost decided to turn around and climb back into the ship, when the light flashed across the night sky, another vessel appearing in the field of his vision. There was smoke coming out of it, and it was falling right towards the mountain’s peak. Missing it by just a hair, the ship collided with the side of the mountain.

“Well, that looks like an answer,” Steve said. “Let’s go.”

The racoon groaned in annoyance, but followed Steve up the path.

The rain started as they made it halfway up, and the wind became stronger. The path turned slippery, but Steve had a good sense of balance. It was much more difficult for the small animal, and several times Rocket was almost blown by the current of air.

Steve picked him up and placed onto his own back where he knew were many straps to hold into. Rocket made a disapproving sound, but a moment later, Steve felt him snuggling against own neck.

A little more of climbing and they finally reached the other spaceship. It was still smoking from one of its engines, but the rain was not allowing the fire to spread. This ship was tiny and had a top hatch, like one of old airplanes. It was open and two people stood next to it, looking from their spot upwards. They were far enough away they looked like two dots, one red and the other blue.

The red one seemed to spot Steve in the distance, and he wondered for a moment if he needed to hide or prepare to combat. The figure picked their blue companion and flew into the air on a familiar propulsion system.

Steve didn’t move, didn’t even blink watching Tony Stark flying towards him. A part of him was relieved to know his friend was alive, but they also hadn’t seen eye-to-eye the last time. If Tony was going to attack him, Steve was going to retaliate, but now he simply waited.

Tony landed next to him. Up close it was possible to see his suit was battered, scratched to the point there was barely any smooth surface left, as if he was tossed around for hours.

His mask moved out of the way. “Hey,” he greeted without even looking at Steve, as he carefully placed his companion onto the ground. It was a woman with blue skin, or at least it was blue in places that weren’t covered by mechanical parts.

Steve didn’t recognize her, but Rocket did. “Nebula,” he said stepping closer, needing to raise his voice to be heard in the raging storm. “Where are...” he started to speak, but didn’t finish.

Nebula looked at him sadly and shook her head.

“It can’t be. All of them?”

She looked away, and Rocket fell to his knees, his glassy eyes looking somewhere down. He said something else, but it was too quiet, the wind alone hearing his words.

Silence fell between them, no one even daring to move for some time. Tony was the one who finally broke it. “I assume you came here to find where Thanos is?” he asked addressing Steve.

There was pain in his voice, and Steve wanted to just look him in the eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Yeah,” he said dryly.

“I see," Tony replied. "In this case, we need to keep moving. All of us need some answers,” he added sounding calm, but Steve could feel anger behind his words too.

***

The storm was getting stronger and stronger as the four of them were making their way towards the mountain’s peak. Soon they entered a blanket of fog, the visibility dropping significantly, slowing them down. The lightning started to strike the rocky slopes, and the static in the air was making Steve skin tingle, cover in goosebumps.

It all stopped abruptly as they appeared above the clouds near the summit. The sky cleared and the wind subsided, turning into a light breath. Steve was certain than on such altitude the atmosphere was supposed to be too thin, unbreathable, yet the air here felt easy, refreshing.

There were two tall columns in the middle of a clearing, a man in black robes standing between them, his back turned to the newcomers. His gaze was aimed upwards, looking at the clear sky, at the streaks of blue, green and pink aurora dancing against the stars like living fire.

He chuckled then and Steve felt the blood freezing in his veins. “It seems, the fate brought us back together, Captain America,” a familiar voice greeted him, the man turning to them.

For the very first time since he got up from his knees in a forest of Wakanda after watching his friend die, Steve felt an emotion this strong. Rage started to boil inside him, and he ran forward, grabbing Red Skull by his neck, pushing him towards the cliff on the other side of the columns. It was impossible to see the ground from there, fog clouding the chasm below, making it look bottomless.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you now?” he groaned, lifting him over the edge.

Red Skull didn’t fight him, he didn’t even resist, but somehow it was making Steve even angrier, wanting to squeeze his neck harder between his fingers, maybe even feel it break. He might’ve started strangling him too, because the only reply to Steve’s question was a barely audible gurgle.

“Steve, stop it!” Tony’s voice appeared next to him, a hand landing on Steve’s shoulder.

“Why should I? This man was a head of Hydra, there’s more blood on his hands than you can even imagine.”

“It doesn’t make it right, and you know it!” Tony pushed. “Just look at him.”

Steven did, noticing for the first time how different Skull looked. It seemed as if he was older, withered even. What struck Steve even more were his eyes. Passionate about his plans at one time, they now lost any speck of life. He didn’t even seem to care about being killed now.

Skull looked like an empty shell, not even a shred of his former self was left in him.

“It doesn’t matter. This man deserves to die,” Steve shook his head. It was the right thing to do, just throw him down, rid the world of his presence.

“Maybe! But you are not an executioner. We’ll take him with us, he will answer for his crimes.”

“Why are you trying to protect him?!” Steve snapped, turning to Tony, almost yelling into his face.

“It’s not him he’s trying to protect, you moron!” came another voice, Rocket’s this time, the racoon sounding angry and annoyed.

Steve stilled, breathing heavily through his mouth, his grip on the Skull’s neck loosening, yet he didn’t let go.

“There was a time once,” Tony continued. “I acted upon my emotions, upon rage that was building in me for years after losing my parents. I almost killed someone, was ready to do it. Thankfully you were there to stop me. So let me return the favor.”

Steve’s eyes widened, breath caught in his throat. Feeling tears starting to gather in his eyes, he pulled Skull back onto the ledge, and let him fall onto the ground, before falling to his knees himself, every part of his body shaking uncontrollably.

Steve wanted to let go, to cry, but he was fighting it with every last bit of strength left in him. No one was moving, and in the silence that followed, he could hear his own heart beating, light breeze playing between two stone pillars, sounding like a long-forgotten melody.

“I waited so long for this to happen,” Skull chuckled quietly. “Seeing the great Captain America on his knees, hurt and desperate. Yet, it doesn’t feel all that satisfying now.”

“Say another word, and I’ll kick you into that hole myself,” Tony warned.

“Oh, but you do want me to talk, Stark,” Skull said looking over people gathered around him until stopping on Nebula. “You know what this place is, aren’t you? A sacred site that contained the Soul Stone. But it’s something else you came here for.”

“My sister. I know Thanos brought her here,” Nebula replied.

“Indeed,” Skull nodded. “She is here, and her soul, her beautiful soul was briefly connected to the Infinity Stone revealing so many, many things to her. You can even get her back, but there’s a catch. You can’t just take a soul, you need to replace it with another — a sacrifice of someone you love the most is a must.”

A silence hung upon their group again, and Steve felt his jaw twitch, desperation engulfing him once again.

“But look at you!” Skull hummed, then started cackle loudly. “None of you have a person like that! And the best part? None of you can even sacrifice yourself, because the only thing you feel for yourself is hatred.”

Steve gulped and looked at Tony. He didn’t care about himself, not really. Of course he wanted to go after Thanos, but if he could help here, it would be a good way to go too. “I still consider you my friend. If you feel even remotely the same, you can push me,” he proposed finally getting up from the ground.

“How about I just punch you in the face, and we call it even?”

Red Skull sighed then. Slowly, he got up from the ground and moved towards the chasm again. “For seventy years I wondered what it would be like to jump there. How long will I fall.”

“If you want to imply _you_ want to heroically sacrifice yourself, I’m not going to buy it,” Tony said.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Skull shrugged. “This place kept me in a constant state between live and death, yet it never bothered to replenish my strength. I can’t fight you, and if you take me away, I will die of old age. There,” he paused glancing down again, “my soul will live to be reborn one day, when all of you will be long gone. Would it be something you’re willing to risk?” he asked turning to Steve directly.

A heartbeat passed, another. “Do it,” Steve replied.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Tony interjected stepping closer to Steve. “I really don’t.”

“I know,” Steve agreed. “But it’s all we got.”

Red Skull grinned widely and took one final step. “Hail Hydra,” he said spreading his arms as he started to fall.

For several moments nothing was happening, but then the ground around them started to shake, a bright pillar of light bursting from the sky into the chasm. It was so intense, Steve had to cover his eyes, and even then he felt as if they were burning in their sockets. A high-pitched sound came next, almost defining, and just for a moment he thought he wasn't going to survive this, feeling his consciousness starting to slip away.

And then it all suddenly stopped. When Steve was able to open his eyes again, he saw another person laying on the stone ground before them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one a little shorter, but I needed both Gamora and the queen of Peo'Ree revealing some thing in the same chapter.  
> Thank you to all the two people who commented on the previous chapters. I feel I would've dropped this story by now if not for you.  
> Meanwhile, I still wonder if I can make Bucky and Loki talk about hair products... xD

1

As it turned out, their ship was equipped with pretty decent shields, and the hull sustained minimum damage from being shot at. There were some dent marks on the metallic surface, but Bucky suspected, they wouldn’t need to even repair it, unless for aesthetic purpose.

The boarding bridge was a different story. It was torn in half when they were running away, not having enough time to retract it. Uselessly, it was flailing about on the side of the _Archaeopteryx_ , and, while it wasn’t slowing them down in the vacuum of space, entering any kind of atmosphere was going to be bumpy untill they repaired it.

In the meanwhile, they had a more prominent problem at hand, one that Bucky didn’t anticipate. It was one thing to pick up a dangerous criminal on the way to save the world, it was another thing for Daisy to have a personal vendetta against said criminal.

“Wow, that is what I get for saving your guts,” Loki muttered as the shimmer of a forcefield came to life between him and the two crew members of the ship. “Typical.”

“After everything, how can you ever expect us to just trust you?” Daisy asked, sounding way angrier than Bucky expected her to be.

The mistrust was reasonable, considering Loki had tried to take over their world, killing hundreds of people in the process. Bucky hadn’t been personally present near New York then, he hadn’t even been awake, but he’d read reports on the Chitauri invasion, both from HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Still, Daisy’s extreme dislike of Loki made him wonder if they shared personal history.

“I get it, you don’t believe it wasn’t my fault, but would you listen if I tell we share common goals? Common enemy now? We can help each other.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’ve spent enough time with someone who tried to manipulate me, I’m not going to be lead on by the likes of you again,” she said and turned around, starting to stomp away from the brig. Without looking back, she reached the elevator that was connecting the decks and disappeared behind its doors.

Loki sighed and sat down on a bench inside his new room, the handcuffs on his wrist jingling with the movement. “Unfair, isn’t it?” he chuckled sadly. “Someone uses you, controls your actions, sends you to do their dirty bidding, and no matter how much you’ve changed, how much you regret it, people look at you and only see evil.”

Bucky clenched his fists, needing to take a slow breath to calm himself. “You want to say someone was controlling you?”

Loki shrugged leaning onto the wall behind him. “Not someone. Thanos. I then tried to kill him, but he was stronger. Thankfully, I managed to fake my death. Turns out he won in the end, huh?” There was no humor, no mockery in his voice, just some sort of emptiness. “I might’ve tried to overthrow my father for lying to me my entire life, I might've even tried to kill my brother, because I was hurt and felt betrayed, but I've never wanted to be a ruler of some primitive planet in Midgard,” he added with almost disgust.

“You really know how to appeal to people,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

Still, there was something in his intonation that made Bucky want to believe him, because if Loki was telling the truth, well, Bucky knew exactly how it felt to be in his shoes. It didn’t mean, however, he was going to trust the asgardian blindly.

“Just trying to tell the truth. Unlike some people,” Loki added tilting his head, glancing vaguely in the direction Daisy disappeared to.

“What?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“Well, do you know that your ship keep sending signals on a strange frequency, which is not S.H.I.E.L.D? They coming from somewhere right below us. Who are you trying to communicate with?”

Bucky wanted to tell Loki he was mistaken, they weren’t sending any signals, especially not from the engine room, which was below them. He forced himself not to react, kept his face as straight as he could. “That’s none of your concern.”

“Very well, but know these signals are putting us into unnecessary danger. And once again, look, I’m helping you with an advice, while you treat me like a prisoner.”

Bucky sighed. “If you truly want to convince us you’re on our side, do it by cooperating. Good behaviour goes a long way.”

“Well,” Loki shrugged raising his hands to look at the handcuffs. “I’ll see what I can do.”

***

Bucky didn’t really believe Daisy was trying to secretly communicate with someone, but he was a little concerned about his companion’s behaviour, so he went looking for her.

She wasn’t in the cockpit, the ship flying towards the next wormhole on autopilot. She wasn’t in the lounge area either, but he found her in the next place he looked — her quarters. He could hear her soft crying from the other side of the door and hesitated to knock, wandering if she wanted privacy.

“How long are you planning on standing there?” came her voice. “It’s unlocked.”

Bucky pushed the door and saw Daisy sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow, looking distanly into the portview. “You ok?” he asked, because he had no idea what else to say, and it seemed like an an appropriate question.

Daisy glanced at him once and shrugged. There were no tears in her eyes, but they were a little red, as if she cried recently. “Sorry, just out of anyone in the entire galaxy, we accidentally stumbled on Loki. I don’t buy it.”

“You seem to really hate the guy,” Bucky pointed out still standing in the doorway, leaning onto the frame.

“Oh, what gives?” she forced a laughter. “He just stabbed a person who is like father to me in the heart, ruined his life, making him go through things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.”

Bucky looked at her sadly, imagining how painful it must’ve been for her. “What... what it he was really controlled by Thanos the entire time?”

Daisy turned to look at him sharply. “So what? It doesn't make it better. Coulson is still dying somewhere in the alternative dimension, probably thinks I’m dead too, so there’s no way I can forgive him!”

Bucky almost jerked from her words, his hands clenching. It felt like he was dumped into a pull of ice cold water with no warning or preparation. He knew it were her emotions speaking, but it hurt more deeply than he could anticipate.

Either because Daisy noted his reaction, or because she realized it herself, her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she shook her head. “I mean, I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”

“No, you’re right,” he nodded. “Sorry, I think I need to go for a walk,” he added before turning around and leaving, closing the door to her quarters behind himself.

***

“So, should I listen to my partner in saving the world, or to the alien we picked up on a prison ship, who either went through what I did, or is lying to us?” Bucky asked his new friend.

The little creature didn’t reply, just grabbed another piece of breakfast cereal from his hand and sent it into its mouth, starting to enthusiastically chew.

The animal looked like a strange mix between a pig and a rat, but was the size of a domestic cat. It had a very long snout, large ears and soft brown fur. Its paws were ending in rather impressive claws, but they weren’t particularly sharp, and it was incredibly friendly, liking to climb on Bucky’s lap and rub its head against his belly. It liked breakfast cereal, and Bucky was glad they had a lot of it packed for the trip.

On a slightly closer examination, Bucky also noted it was most definitely a he.

After being tossed so harshly onto the floor, it was surprising the little guy didn’t sustain injuries, at least Bucky didn’t see any even after running a scanner in the medical bay. He was unconscious for several minutes, but then woke up like nothing happened.

Bucky was sitting on his own bed, watching the little creature eat, feeling more than a little down. He wished Steve was here. The other man was great with judging people’s character, he always knew what to say to burst moral or make people agree with each-other. He wished Steve was here to advice him, or at least tell him everything was going to be fine.

Then again, Bucky wished Steve was here even if he would say nothing at all, just sit quietly next to him.

While his friend was good with words, Bucky had always been good with strategies. There was a way to find out if Loki was truthful at least about something. For that he either had to be good with technology to scan for additional signals, or physically search through the entre engine room. Bucky really wished it was the former.

He knew just enough to understand a device sending communications on this scale needed to use a lot of power. For that it needed to be connected to the main frame.

That in mind, Bucky got up and poured more cereal into a bowl, placing it onto the floor next to the identical bowl of fresh water. Then he petted his new friend again and left his quarters. Making sure Daisy wasn’t anywhere around, he descended to the lower deck, into the engine room, starting to look around for irregularities.

He couldn’t find any additional cords, or wires coming from the engine, and, after about twenty minutes of fruitless search, he was ready to leave. He was half way out of the door, when he saw something glint from behind a coolant pipe.

Approaching it, he looked closely at the device that was most definitely not a part of the original room layout. It was a silvery cube with black center, wired into a wall panel and covered by pipes, hence Bucky didn’t see it from the start.

He had a level eight clearance, and he knew nothing about what the device was, and at least a dozen of different possibilities flashed before his eyes. It could've been anything starting from a HYDRA sleeper agent trying to sabotage the mission, and ending with Daisy having orders he had no idea about.

Bucky wished he was savvy with technology the way Daisy or Stark were, so he could poke around to discern the purpose. At least, he could tell it wasn’t an explosive device, because he dealt with those before, could even disarm one. That in mind, he carefully moved some wires out of the way, wondering if he could find any text or numbers on its surface, but there was nothing of the sort.

With more questions than answers, he got back to the higher deck. Everything around was quiet, and Bucky was frustrated. With nothing better to do, he returned to his quarters and climbed under the blanket. His new furry friend joined him several moments later and, without even planning it, Bucky found himself falling asleep.

***

By the end of the second day they were finally approaching Mer-Z-Bow. Everything seemed to quiet down, and Bucky was sitting next to Daisy in the cockpit, trying to find a new spot on his clothing to hide a knife. He had about four of them already holstered around his body, but the fifth one would make him feel even safer, especially considering they were contacted by they Pao’Ree about an hour ago, and asked not to bring firearms onto the planet surface.

“Hey, Daisy, do you know anything about a small metal box in the engine room?” he asked, deciding it was as good time as ever to start figuring out whom he could trust. He tried to keep his face as straight as it was only possible, trying to judge his partner’s reaction. “I mean, we need to do something with it if it’s not yours.”

Daisy flinched, and it was an answer enough for him. “Jees, what was you even doing in the engine room?”

‘Sulking,” Bucky replied with a shrug. He had time to think about his cover, and it sounded realistic enough.

Daisy nodded. “No, we’re good. It’s mine. Just a charging station for my laptop.”

And just like that, all the confidence he decided to bestow upon her shuttered into tiny pieces. Bucky’s entire body tensed, but he forced himself to relax, because he couldn’t allow Daisy to see he knew she was lying yet. There was a possibility they could end up fighting each other, and he’d seen her taking down a ten feet tall monstrosity.

Bucky needed to calm down, and he needed to play it smart.

2

Landing on the planet surface was unnerving, less in a sense of being awed by a completely new planet, and more because there was an unreasonable amount of guns pointed in their direction. Bucky could see at least three large anti-aircraft turrets tracking every movement of the _Archeopteryx._ While he doubted it was enough to really destroy the ship, the orbital cannon they passed on the way was a different matter.

Not to mention their landing was shaky, the piece of a broken bridge still sticking out of the side of the houl.

“A peaceful race,” Bucky muttered sarcastically as the airlock door opened and they found themselves facing at least a dozen of soldiers.

The air of the planet practically slammed Bucky in the chest, leaving him dizzy for several short moments before his lungs figured how to process an alien, richer in oxygen, atmosphere. Breathing became easy after that, but he was fairly certain a human was not capable of staying on the planet surface for long without suffering at least some sort of ill effects.

A few steps out, and the familiar gravity ended too, every limb of Bucky’s body becoming suddenly lighter. He thought he could jump really, really high here. It would’ve been a fun thing to test too, if not for all of the guns pointed at him which made it a very bad idea.

Only now Bucky noticed the port where they landed was partially damaged. There were some areas practically reduced to rubble, chunks of the walls, buildings singed. As some of the debris was still laying on the ground, Bucky could guess this was a recent occurrence.

“We come in peace?” he tried holding his hands up, feeling a little stupid and already starting to calculate his course of actions for a fight.

Pao’Ree were taller than humans, but slenderrer too, used to lesser gravitational pull. There were some crates nearby, and Bucky was sure he could manage to roll behind them in time, so could Daisy.

“Welcome,” someone greeted, and every soldier in the area lowered their weapons — not holstered them, but it was a step in the right direction.

A man started to approach them, and unlike anyone else, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. He looked similar to a human, but his skin was blue, ridges running from the top of his head to almost his nape, hair growing between them. There was a symbol on his forehead, that Bucky suspected meant something, but the files Fury had given them were not particularly detailed to know what it meant.

“Forgive our lack of hospitality, but, due to the recent developments, we don’t really have a choice,” the alien nodded. “I’m Demdike. Please follow me,” he added with a nod, yet stayed on the same spot, waiting for Bucky and Daisy to descend from the ship’s ramp.

“I was under the impression you were expecting us,” Daisy pointed out crossing her hand over her chest.

“We were,” Demdike nodded. “But you are the third expected ship arriving on your planet. The last two ended up with more than twenty of our people dead.”

“I’m very sorry for you loss,” Daisy offered. “But I swear we are not like that, we’re only interested in safe passage through the wormhole in your space and resupplying, trading.”

Demdike frowned, looking confused. “A hole for worms? Oh, you mean a jump point,” he nodded. “About trading, we will first need to verify your intentions.”

“Our intentions?” Bucky raised an eyebrow. It didn't sound good, because in his experience the process of verification often resulted in pain. Glancing around, he could still see guards following them, their weapons ready. On the corner of his eyes, he could also spot several snipers, located in elevated areas, rooftops, towers. The security here was so thorough, Bucky doubted even he could survive if a fight broke out.

They were led into a rather large building with pristine white walls. It looked very unremarkable, something that could've been used as a customs house, yet Bucky noted every wall, every door here to be made of thick metallic alloy of some sort.

“Yes, we would need to read your mind,” Demdike explained simply, sounding as it was something completely obvious. “It’s the first time we encounter your race, so we cannot hear your thoughts. We will need to verify.”

“Isn’t it kind of intrusive?” Daisy protested, and Bucky completely agreed with her. He had enough people messing with his head in the past, and he didn’t want a repetition. On top of that, they did planned to rob them, and Bucky was sure reading their mind was going to reveal this particular detail.

Demdike stopped walking and tilted his head, as if not understanding what was the problem.

Bucky couldn't focus more on the details of his expression, because he noticed they now stood in a middle of an almost empty room, with the alien guy a few steps behind, and an entire squad of guards at the exit. This weren't customs, neither it was a hotel, and he cursed in his mind about how stupid he was allowing to be led into a trap.

Quickly, he moved towards Daisy, grabbing her by the elbow, trying to pull her out of area of the room he suspected was going to end behind locked bars. The alien's eyes flew wide open, and he flinched in fear, stepping back. Every other guard raised their guns, but it was a reflex reaction, because they didn’t need to bother.

The barrier separating two halves of the room was already up, and Bucky collided with it. Unlike the force fields they used, this one had repelling properties, and both of them were thrown backwards, falling onto the ground.

“Wow, if this is hospitality your planet is famous for, I’m afraid to try your food,” Bucky chuckled through his teeth, starting to get up. His hip ached dully from hitting the floor, but otherwise he sustained no damage.

“Yup, totally giving you one star on my Yelp review,” Daisy agreed, which sounded rather menacing, even if Bucky wasn’t sure what she meant.

Demdike sighed and turned away from them. “You have no idea how regretful I am for having to do this, but there are so many people out there trying to take advantage of the confusion after such a disastrous event. We simply don’t know whom to trust anymore.” His voice sounded sincere and Bucky believed his reasons, even if he wasn’t agreeing with them.

Demdike spared them one final glance and walked out of the room, leaving the two captives alone in their cell.

3

Tony’s spacecraft was in no condition to fly, still smoking heavily as they were descending from the mountain’s peak. That meant all of them needed to clump into the tiny junker ship that Steve arrived in.

“There is a space station about five jumps away,” Nebula announced. “It belongs to the Badoon Sisterhood. They helped me when I first escaped my father. Still, not the best choice, but we don’t have other options.”

And they really didn’t. The ship wasn’t designed for long travel. The life support system was doing its best pumping oxygen, but with five people on board, the air inside was stuffy at best. Not to mention the food supply was starting to get dangerously low even before they picked up three additional people.

On top of it, Gamora haven't regained her consciousness. She didn’t look injured, simply asleep, but they needed to bring her somewhere where she could receive medical help.

“How long?” Steve asked. He’d learned it some time ago, the number of jumps wasn’t really corresponding to the duration of the trip. Jumping from one star system to another through holes in reality was fast. Traveling within one star system, on another hand, was taking a lot of time.

“Two point three galactic hours,” Nebula hummed looking at the displays. “In your time, about eight hours.”

Steve tried to relax, pondered about napping, even if the only two chairs in the ship were occupied, and he had to sit in the back on the floor. It was going to be a long flight, uncomfortable too, and the lack of oxygen wasn’t even the main reason for it.

“What’s with your face by the way?” Tony asked about an hour into the silence. It felt almost as if his usual teasing, but his voice was flatter. “Trying to go for one of these hipsters looks?”

Steve offered him a blank stare from across the ship’s interior and didn’t say anything. It seemed that Tony if not forgiven him, at least was ready to put all the issues beside and focus on what matters at the moment. Yet, it didn’t mean the tension between them was no longer there.

He wanted to tell so many things to him, wanted to apologize again, in person this time, but both Rocket and Nebula were sitting a few feet away, and Steve was less than ready to start this conversation in front of people he met so recently.

It was making Steve restless, wanting to do something, maybe punch a wall, even if his body was aching all over from constants fights and exhaustion. What made it even worse, Tony looked like he wanted to talk to him too, but wasn’t ready, so he was resolving to making off-hand commentaries about his appearance.

Steve decided it was for the best to ignore it. At least for now. Instead, for the lack of better options, he laid down onto the floor and closed his eyes, hoping he could at least doze off, maybe even fall asleep.

***

The Badoon station seemed old, tattered but more from a passage of time, rather than a battle. It was round in shape, with an attachment that consisted of five wings, which made it look like some sort of a propeller. It was rather large, orbiting a rocky planet which didn’t seem inhabited.

“Don’t talk unless asked,” Nebula warned as they were ready to dock. “Badoon males and females have been at war with each-other for a very long time, to the point they almost went extinct. It was quite some time ago, but the sisterhood still isn’t particularly fond of men.”

“Joy!” Tony said sarcastically, throwing hands in the air. “And why couldn’t we find a Baboon, or whatever they are called, male space station again?”

“Because, they would kill all of us, maybe eat the corpses, then decorate their walls with whatever parts left,” this time it was Rocket who joined in. “And frankly, I need all of my parts.”

Steve only sighed deeply and went to pick up sleeping Gamora, holding her carefully in his arms.

As the hatch of the ship opened, they were immediately surrounded by a group of green, reptilian people. They were humanoid, looking a little like a group of thugs Steve had beaten up a few days earlier while searching for clues on how to find Thanos. Except all of them were women.

Some were dressed in armor, carrying spears, while others wore colorful dresses and jewelry, which Steve suspected indicated their ranks within the community. They didn’t look hostile, but was watching the newcomers closely, their emotions ranging from open mistrust to not less open curiosity.

One of the women stepped forward. She didn’t look particularly distinguished from the rest. She was tall, wearing a dark-blue gown, and her red hair was divided into hundreds of tiny braids.

She ignored Steve, Tony and Rocket completely but approached Nebula with a smile. “It is good to see you again,” she nodded. “What brings you to us?”

Nebula bowed her head. “I’m so sorry to intrude, Linara, but my sister needs medical attention, and my ship is running out of supplies. I don’t have much to offer in return, but whatever I have, it’s yours.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Linara shook her head. “You helped us a great deal already the last time you’ve been here. You’ll always be welcome, even with your...” she then glanced at the rest of them, “...less admirable guests.”

Her eyes fell onto Gamora then, and she moved closer to Steve. She approached him like he was just a piece of furniture, her attention solemnly at the unconscious person in his arms. Carefully, she reached for her forehead, touching it lightly with two clawed fingers of her hand. It could’ve been just Steve’s imagination, but he thought he saw a faint glow from the point of contact between them.

“Good spirits let you to us,” she spoke again turning to Nebula. “We can help your sister.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. After some consideration, I changed a few things at the beginning, removing Bucky going to a store. At first it was there to show issues in the world, and I liked him making off-hand comparisons to the depression era, but I think it was a little too long of an into.
> 
> 2\. I removed Steve and Tony talking about who they lost, because I now think it was dumb and out of character. Sorry about these changes, but I think they weren't too big.
> 
> 3\. I feel it's time to confess, I haven't caught up on the season 5 of agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I only have read wiki articles and watched YouTube clips, because after Infinity War, I started to re watch everything, starting from the first Iron Man. If I'm not getting it right, please tell me.
> 
> 4\. Next chapter Bucky will finally meet his daughter, yay.

1

The walls of their cell were solid, too thick to break through even with Bucky’s metal fist. In fact, he barely even dented the surface, and Daisy’s powers had no effect on them. It meant the alloy they was made of contained at least some amount of vibranium.

“The moment somebody opens the cell, we’re punching our way out of here. I’m not getting them inside my head,” Daisy groaned pacing the room.

“Can’t let ‘em see all the secrets, huh?” Bucky remarked bitterly and immediately regretted it. He didn't mean to mention it now, but he was so angry at their situation, and this kind of mood had never failed to bring up the snarky side of him.

Daisy looked at him a little surprised. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Giving her a leveled Stare, Bucky rubbed his face with the palm of his real hand. “A laptop charging station. What kind of fool do you think I am?” he asked deciding if he’d already started this conversation, there was no reason not to continue it.

“Oh god,” Daisy exhaled, turning to look at him before plopping herself down on a bench. “It’s not what you think it is.”

“I’m not even sure what to think, to be honest,” Bucky shook his head. “But it’s obviously something you lied about.”

“Maybe,” Daisy nodded. “But only because I’m going behind everyone’s back on this one.”

Her intonation seemed sincere, and Bucky wanted to ask what was the real purpose of the thing, believing she was going to tell the truth this time. He almost opened his mouth, when he heard a commotion outside of their cell.

The door on the other side of the room opened, and Demdike appeared before the two of them again. “That would be all,” he said to someone Bucky couldn’t see before turning his attention to the prisoners. “Alright, let me get you out of here.”

As he moved towards the control panel for the energy field, Bucky reached for his side, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of a knife that no one took away.

“Oh, don’t you dare,” Demdike hissed with a voice that most definitely didn’t belong to him. “I’m trying to rescue you, you imbeciles, so keep quiet.”

“Loki?” Bucky raised an eyebrow and heard Daisy groan in the background. “How did you get out?”

“As if you could really contain me,” he rolled his eyes, before adding more seriously. “I know we had some disagreements. And go ahead, continue hating me, but we do need to escape,” he stated looking at Daisy directly.

They both fell silent, just staring at each-other. Bucky was able to see a mental struggle in Daisy’s expression. Then one of the sides triumphed over the other. “Fine, let’s make a truce. For now.”

Loki finished disabling the force field, and the yellowish shimmer of the barrier faded out of existence. “Pretend you’re my prisoners,” he hissed, nodding for them to follow him.

Silently, he led the two of them out of the room. On the way out, they passed several guards who, while paying a lot of curious attention, didn’t attempt to stop them from leaving the building.

The skies was darker above them, turning purplish in color, which Bucky guessed indicated night time. The street outside was a little emptier too, but he could still see guards patrolling the area, both on the ground and on the white towers that were now reflecting moonlight, tinted blue.

Loki walked them down a street, then took a sharp turn to a small alleyway between two buildings. It wasn’t the best hiding spot, but none of the watchmen on the towers had a line of sight with the three fugitives. “We need to regroup,” Loki hissed as his features started to shift, his usual appearance replacing the alien disguise. “We can’t return to the ship.”

“Why not?” Bucky surprised.

Loki groaned and shook his head. “I mean, I guess we can, but the place is swarming with guards. They have your ship on a complete lockdown.”

“Is there a way to sneak in?” Daisy asked. “Any lockdown can be countered, I just need to access the onboard computer.”

“You thinking about it from the wrong perspective. Instead of trying to return to your ship, we need to go there,” Loki nodded at a rather impressive palace towering over the entire city.

Daisy stared at him like he was insane. “Why?” she asked after a moment.

“To take their queen hostage and convince them to let us go peacefully, of course!” Loki replied as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Daisy opened her mouth, but not a sound escaped her, she just glared in surprise. Bucky wanted to join her, but the more he thought about it, the more sence this plan made. “I think we should do it,” he nodded. “There’s no way we are getting our ship without a fight. A lot of people are gonna get hurt, Daisy.”

“And you think the queen of oh, I dunno, their _entire_ planet is less guarded than our ship?”

Bucky glanced between Loki and Daisy, then looked up at the palace again. “Yeah. I kinda have a good feeling about it.”

Daisy took a deep breath staring him blankly. “So let me get this straight,” she rubbed her temples. “Instead of trying getting our ship back and fleeing, we’re going to break into a castle and kidnap an alien queen. Because you have a good feeling about it?”

Bucky thought about it for merely a moment. “Basically. Yes.”

Daisy threw her hands into the air and when she started speaking again, her voice was deeper, as if she was trying to imitate someone. “If anyone can finish this mission, Fury said, It’s Sergeant Barnes, he said,” she mocked. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to agree to do it!”

And just for a moment, forgetting about all of the mistrust and tension between them, Bucky found himself grinning like a fool.

***

As they were making their way towards the castle, Bucky expected to face a lot of resistance even with Loki's disguise. It was really strange, but no one tried to stop them even once. On a different day, he would've suspected something was wrong, and they were walking into another trap, but he felt nothing of the sort. It was a little unnerving, but he decided to trust his instincts, especially after he convinced Daisy to trust them too.

The scenery changed a little as they neared the city center. The buildings here were larger, but there was a lot of plant life around too. It looked different from what Bucky used to see on Earth, the trees having yellowish tint and looking more gelatinous, gleaming. There weren’t birds, or crickets around, but he could head melodic whistles, some strange jellyfish shaped creatures floating through the air.

The palace itself was enormous, consisting of several tall towers that rose high above the city. Two guards stood at the entrance, and Bucky doubted they could sneak by this time. Assessing their surroundings, he noted a set of windows about thirty feet in the air, but the surface of the wall was too smooth to climb, and he doubted he could jump this high even in lesser gravity.

“Ok, come’ere you two,” Daisy whispered. “Grab onto me, I’m gonna get us up there.”

Bucky sized her up with his eyes a little unsure, but then decided to roll with it. Stepping towards Daisy, he wrapped his real arm around her waist, while his metal one landed on her shoulder. It was a little awkward, because any other time he’d been in a such proximity with a woman, it was most definitely not for jumping into windows, but he pushed that thought away.

Loki mirrored him on the other side, and Bucky felt Daisy flinch. “I swear this doesn’t change anything,” she hissed at the asgardian, before unleashing her powers, energy bursting from her hands and propelling the three of them into the air with ease.

Either because she wasn’t used to carry other people, or because she didn’t take the different gravity into account, they almost missed the window. She was able to correct the trajectory the last moment, but instead of a soft landing, they ended in a heap on the floor. Bucky’s hip collided painfully with what seemed to be marble, and he hissed trying to roll off the now sore spot.

“That was horrible!” Loki groaned, getting up from his knees with an annoyed expression.

“Next time you’re climbing thirty feet on your own,” Daisy retorted, blowing a lock of hair out of her face.

Bucky ignored the two, focusing on their surroundings instead. They ended up in an empty bedroom, with most of the surfaces made of white and blue stone. There was an enormous round bed in the very middle, covered in white silk, several red throw pillows seeming completely out of place, looking sharp contrast against everything else.

A double door made of white wood led out of the room, and on the closer inspection it turned out to be unlocked. “Come on, guys,” Bucky whispered pulling out a knife and slowly opening it, just a tiny slit to assess the situation on the other side.

The door led into a long corridor which seemed completely empty. Bucky pushed it open even further and stepped outside, his boots making absolutely no sound against a soft carpet that was covering the entirety of the area.

“It’s clear,” he announced without looking back, hearing his partner and an accidental teammate following him.

“This doesn't seem right,” Daisy’s voice came in a whisper as they walked until reaching a bigger hall. “This place is completely empty.”

“You pay attention to wrong things,” Loki pointed out. “Did anyone else notice it but me? You all know where to go.”

Realizing the asgardian was right, Bucky almost stopped in his tracks. He knew that they needed to pass the hall, enter to a different corridor and then go two flights down a staircase until reaching a room that looked like an ice cavern. The knowledge of it seemed had always been in his head, but only when he thought about it, it had become unsettling.

Bucky shivered understanding someone managed to implant something into his head without his consent again. It angried him, and he gripped tighter into the hilt of the knife in his hand. He didn’t want to take this suggested route, wanted to, perhaps, pick a different door, maybe even make a hole in a wall and go though it instead.

“We don't have much choice but to push,” he insisted. It wasn’t entirely true, they could return to their ship and try fighting against half of an army. Or they could try hiding in the castle forever, maybe under one of these fancy beds, climbing out only at night to steal food from the royal kitchen.

Gritting his teeth, Bucky continued to walk, becoming bolder and bolder with every step, as if something was also telling him no one was going to stop them.

He was right, and they haven't passed a single person. They heard people, guard patrols in the adjacent rooms, corridors, but no on was directly in their sight. It was as if someone intentionally made sure their way was clear.

Finally, they reached the room they were looking for, except it seemed different from what Bucky’s brain imagined it would. It was still empty, and every surface here was blue, almost glassy, as if made of ice. And maybe it was, considering the chilly air inside.

A sphere floating in the very center of it and occupying almost half of the room was unexpected. There was a glow coming from the inside of it, and its surface was constantly shifting colors, as if it was made of some liquid.

It was a beautiful sight too, to the point Bucky had difficulties turning away, as if he was mesmerized by the altering hues. He didn’t even notice another figure standing next to it, until she spoke.

“I was expecting you,” a tall woman said softly. “I must admit, the decision to seek me out took you a little faster than I expected.”

“What, you mean to say it was some sort of a test?” Daisy surprised.

The alien woman looked almost as mesmerizing as the sphere. Her smile was gentle, genuine if a little sad, her eyes big, framed with long black eyelashes. The glow of the sphere was reflecting from her blue skin, making her look misterius somehow.

“No, not a test,” she shook her head, her black hair cascading from her shoulders that weren’t covered by the white tunic as the rest of her body. “It needed to be your decision to come here, otherwise I don’t think we would ever believed each-other.”

“Well, I dunno,” Bucky shrugged, finally managing to come to his senses. “Being locked in a prison kinda makes for a horrible start. Just, for the future reference.”

Ventolin rolled her shoulders, which could’ve been a shrug, and turned to the sphere again. Bucky followed her gaze, realizing now he also knew her name without anyone telling him. It was placed into his head the same way the directions to this place were, the same way he knew he wasn’t supposed to touch this glowing orb.

His previous anger turned into almost rage, because no one had a right to force something into his head. Not again. And so, knowing it wasn't going to kill him, he reached out in spite.

“That’s a bad idea,” Loki muttered beside him.

“Are you sure you want it?” Ventolin smiled from another side.

She continued to say something else, but he couldn’t hear it, his vision blurring. His entire body became lighless and he felt as if he was floating somewhere, warm and cozy and relaxed. And then he started to fall, his every emotion crumpling into a ball before exploding outwards.

He saw blood, so much blood covering his hands. His every victim, every person he’d ever killed appearing before his eyes, memory fresh as it just happened. “Stop it, please, don’t,” he pleaded, but the images didn’t listen, neither the dream version of him stopped the killing.

He saw Steve beneath him, his face a bloodied pulp. _“Then finish it,”_ he pleaded as Bucky’s fist rose above him once again.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he was supposed to protect Steve. He was supposed to continue protecting Steve even if the other man didn’t need his protection anymore. Even if the gentle boy with a big heart Bucky knew his entire life was taken away from him, thrown into the midst of a war against every Bucky’s wish.

A monster. Killer. Murderer. That was what Bucky had become, that was the blood he tried to wash of his hands now. And all of it to be worthy to even stand next to the man who was larger than life even when he was just a sickly little boy. The man he’d loved even then.

The image shifted, and Bucky now watched a city in flames. He’d never been here before, but he knew this place. He’d used to hate it, used to think every day he’d spent here was a lie, but now he understood he was watching his only home burn to ashes.

And it all was his fault. If he’d only knew from the start, if he’d only could control his emotions better. If he’d only hadn’t turned to Thanos for help.

 _“This is not your fault, brother,”_ a familiar voice said, a gentle note was meant to soothe, but it only made everything worse, because he didn’t deserve kind words from someone who cared so much about him. Because he ruined both their lives, with a single, impulsive gesture, when he didn’t let his brother to help him.

Another shift, and Bucky saw a planet cracking in half, exploding from within. _“No, please, I don’t want this,”_ he pleaded falling to his knees, trying to will everything from shaking around him.

A man appeared before him. There was a soft smile on his face, as he offered a hand, but he looked sickly, dying. It hurt to see him like this, even more it hurt to know he could’ve been saved if Bucky was a little stronger, a little faster. _“You leading S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have to end like this, you know it. The future isn’t set in stone,”_ the man said embracing him, the closeness between them intimate, but not romantic. Familial. _“There’s more people ready to join our ranks. And the world is going to need us again very soon.”_

_“I can’t, I can’t lead anyone, please, Coulson... please.”_

Bucky blinked once, twice and then saw himself standing on an alien planet. With tears in his eyes, he watched his people dying, crumbling into dust to be carried away by the wind, _feeling_ their minds ripped away from his own, their thoughts fading into nothingness.

What kind of ruler he was if he knew Thanos was going to collect the Infinity Stones, but chose not to act of that knowledge? He was a coward, too afraid an attempt to contact somebody else would bring instability in the region.

He knew the consequences were going to be dire, but even his powers were not enough to see how much his inaction was going to cost.

Bucky’s body jerked violently and he fell to the ground, his vision focusing on the icy room again. Everything was blurrier this time, unfocused from the tears in his eyes. It felt like he didn’t have enough air in his lungs, which was strange considering the atmosphere on this planet had the opposite of this problem.

“You fool, I told you not to poke the thing,” Loki gasped next to him, and glancing in the direction the voice came from, Bucky saw him sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, his entire body shaking.

“What was that?” Daisy asked from another side. Her voice was trembling as if she was doing her best not to start crying and her eyes were red.

“Polarity paradox engine,” Ventolin said. “It helps predict future and see past, among some other things irrelevant at the moment.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I must admit, once again, I expected needing more effort from my side to convince you to touch it. Your initiative was... a pleasant surprise.”

Bucky bit his lower lip and looked over the two of his companions. He had no doubt he saw their memories, felt what they did, and it was an easy conclusion they all experienced it. The thought chilled him, and he swore under his breath, feeling his cheeks burning at the same time.

“You knew it,” he exhaled turning to Ventolin. He tried not to sound accusing, because he was aware how regretful she was about it, but it was a little difficult to accomplish. “That Thanos was going to win from the start. Is there anything else you know now?”

“I do,” she replied raising to gaze somewhere up, onto the ceiling, yet her expression was distant, as if she was looking through it. “There was an incredible surge of power in the center of this galaxy, I felt it. Whatever it is, I saw it helping you merging the words back together.”

“We kinda knew most of it already,” Daisy said.

“Perhaps. But power like this will take something away from you, it always does,” she said opening her eyes again and walking towards Bucky, until she was close enough to place her hand onto his chest, a strange kind of warmth radiating from her palm. “Love is a greatest force in the universe, James Barnes. Whatever you will have to give up, never let love be it.”

Bucky took a breath, then another, looking Ventolin in the eyes. He’d never had an appreciation for cryptic messages, and his earlier experience of joining with her mind left him feel naked, vulnerable.

Her words sounded important, however, and maybe it was the proximity of the sphere, or maybe he was just so tired, but he could only nod awkwardly and lean into her touch.

2

Daisy didn’t insist on locking Loki back in the brig upon their return to the ship. She was now strangely on board with him sitting on the couch next to her eating ice cream from the the same tub she pulled out of the freezer for herself. Bucky, meanwhile, was content laying splayed on the floor, worrying little about them being at each other’s throats.

No one spoke for awhile, and the only sounds Bucky could her were the hum of the engines and occasional clink of spoons against one another as they were used to scoop the frozen treat. The metal floor of the ship felt strangely comfortable under his back, but maybe it was his exhaustion talking.

Interacting with the sphere turned out to be extremely tiring, Bucky was still able to feel it even after almost a full day of sleeping. Slowly it was starting to wear off, and all the weird visions he saw, now seemed like hazed dreams.

Except they weren’t really dreams, he was really able to see into the mind of his companions, know private things about them he was sure neither were ready to share on their own. It was uncomfortable, and embarrassing in places, but at least they could now be in close proximity without fear.

After the conversation with Ventolin they had stayed at the palace for a day and a half. In the meantime, Pao’Ree managed to repair their boarding bridge, as well as install new navigational systems capable of finding safe routes around black holes. To top it all, they stocked the ship with fresh food, most of which Bucky had never tried before.

“God, and I thought my issues were bad,” Daisy signed after what seemed like hours, her voice cutting sharply through the silence.

“Oh don’t you dare to compare and say your problems are less relevant,” Loki replied immediately. “You gonna undermine your insecurities, and everyone will think they are not of importance, and they’ll grow and grow, and next thing you know, you’re an unstable mess with a serious case of trust issues.”

Daisy gaped at him with almost an open mouth. “Wow. That’s... surprisingly deep,” she managed finally.

The asgardian turned to look away, his jaw clenching a little. “Well, I might be talking from experience. But I guess you figured it.”

Daisy only nodded, staring now at the tub in her hands, her eyes a little glassy, tears gathering in them. Yeah,” she nodded.

There was another stretch of silence, before Bucky decided to speak. “When were you going to tell that you are the director, by the way?” he asked.

“Probably never,” Daisy shrugged. “Because I’m really not. The position is not hereditary, dammit, and maybe Fury’s getting older, but he’s still the best at it. All these people he managed to get a hold of in few short months. I doubt I would’ve filled up a single office with volunteers.”

She then shook her head and chuckled, sounding sad rather than anything else. “You know people at the Triskelion is all S.H.I.E.L.D.’s got. Even then, most of them are completely non-combatant.”

“What?” Bucky surprised. All this time he knew Fury wasn’t truthful about the scale of his organization, but he assumed it was the opposite of what Daisy just said.

“What we had was just a handful of agents. But we needed to do it, needed to make people feel safer, even if it meant pretending to be bigger than we are. Because there’s no Avengers anymore, what was left of the team either in the parallel dimension, or MIA. Same for the inhumans, or other people with powers. T’Challa cannot leave his people, and Sam in only one left we could put in charge of relief operations. Bucky, I’m sorry, but we’re all the Earth has got.”

It was a cold realization, because talk about pressure. Bucky’s entire body felt as if it was placed into the cryogenic chamber again, and he shivered. He didn’t know how to react, he knew they were sent to pretty much save the world, and he was determined to do his best, but he’d always assumed there was some sort of a contingency plan. Something.

“Not true,” Loki interfered, his voice sharp. He looked from Days to Bucky and back and nodded. “Want it or not, I’m difficult to get rid of. Especially when I have nothing else to do.”

***

“So, um,” Daisy started to speak as the two of them sat in the cockpit again. She wasn’t even looking at Bucky and judging by the flush on her face, he had a guess about what she wanted to ask before she did it. “You and Steve Rogers, huh?”

Bucky tensed. His instinct was to deny, to tell whatever she saw in their shared dream was incorrect, that she was mistaken. About a dozen of colorful insults he used to hear about people like him as he was growing up flashed in his mind. He knew it was irrational, knew that now not many people would even care, but years of living in fear wasn’t easy to ignore.

That old part of him expected to see disgust in her face, but her expression was soft, and when she spoke again, there was neither pity, nor reprimand in her voice. “And you never told him? How you felt?”

Bucky bursted into a hysterical laughter hearing the question. “When, during forties? Yeah, cause that would’ve turned out great!” he muttered sarcastically.

It was the reason he’d been chasing every skirt in New York, terrified someone could find out, notice how he looked at Steve, at a handful of other men. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but for his friend, because even if there’d never been something between them, people would’ve just assumed.

Steve had already been bullied a lot, if someone also thought he was like that, they could've killed him. And being beaten up to death in a dingy alley would've been the best case scenario, because the alternative was a psychic ward. People were dying there too, only slower.

“And then you felt too guilty,” she offered him a sad smile.

It was so bizzare to discuss this with someone, even more so to hear sympathy and understanding from them, and suddenly Bucky really wanted to just spill everything out. He wasn’t sure why, maybe because he carried it for such a long time, not allowing himself to even think about it. Maybe because being in someone else’s mind was a truly bonding experience.

“It was my job to protect him, and I failed,” he said quietly. “It doesn't matter that my mind didn't belong to me, I hurt him,” he shook his head.

Daisy didn’t say anything right away, only nodded. “You can tell him now. You know, after we fix the universe, and you'll fill better about yourself,” she proposed after a moment of silence.

Bucky had to put a mental effort into stopping himself from rolling his eyes. “He’s not like that, he likes women.”

“Are you sure about it? I mean, I bet he thinks you’re straight too.”

“I‘m sure,” Bucky replied. “Because I’ve seen him looking at Peggy.” His expression changed then, and he found himself grinning fondly at the memory. “I couldn’t complain though, he looked so happy, the goofus, smiling at a newspaper picture in his compass every night...”

“You know a person can like both, right?” Daisy sighed.

“And what if he doesn’t? It’s gonna ruin our friendship.”

“That would be a good argument if you were anybody else. I’m sorry, but your friendship survived you trying to kill him, I’m sure it can survive him finding out you want to kiss him,” she looked Bucky up and down. “In the end, it’s your decision, of course, but you have a chance to be happy, I don’t see why at least not to try taking it.”

Bucky bit his lower lip, pondering at her words. Every fiber of his being still resisted the idea. Not only his mind was still clinging to the old ways, to the shame he lived with his entire adult life, but he also didn’t believe he deserved it. Maybe he used to be a charming young man, but these days were long gone and almost forgotten. He was a killer now, and replacing all the lethal bullets in his guns didn’t change it.

Perhaps he would feel different one day, perhaps he would want to find peace, but right now he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

“You know, you were right,” Daisy spoke again. “All your biographies, are really full of shit.”

3

Time was dragging slow. They brought Gamora to some room that reminded a cave with a small lake inside. It looked really realistic from outside, and Steve wondered if it was perhaps a portal leading to some place on the planet below. He’d seen a lot a weird things, so the explanation wasn’t even remotely strange.

None of the men were allowed into this cave, so they had to wait in a dedicated room, which was small and had almost no furniture except for several beds and chairs, all made of metal and attached to the floor. There was a bathroom there, and a shower — a tiny stall with a hole on the floor and a pipe sticking from a wall. Tony called the dibs when he saw it, and a moment later Steve could here water starting to run. Rocket spared their surroundings a single glance and opted to wait on the ship.

Waiting was the worst, because now Stave was stuck with nothing to occupy himself but his own thoughts, and recently all of them were on a darker side. There was nothing to even look at, and so he paced from one end of the room to the other.

“You look like you want to start a fight,” Tony pointed out, his voice tired, uncaring as he finally exited the bathroom, droplets of water still clinging to his skin. His still dirty clothes were covered in wet patches, which lead Steve to believe there wasn’t a towel in the room. “If you do, make sure it’s not with me, or someone who can call in the rest of the station and kill us.”

Steve had enough pent up anger, he thought he could go against an entire station. He even wanted to, which likely made him a little sick on the head. “I probably deserve it,” he said finally, leaning against the wall before sliding down its surface to sit on the floor.

“Being killed by a mob of angry lizard women?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sure, I guess. But I don’t, so suck it up, princess.”

Steve didn’t reply to that, only glared. It was the first real conversation between them in what felt like forever and it wasn’t going well, and he wasn’t sure which one of them was to blame. “I’m sorry,” he sighed finally.

“Don’t be,” Tony shrugged, taking a sit on one of the beds. “What’s done is done. And apologies won’t bring people back. None of them,” he added quickly looking Steve directly in the eyes, and Steve realized he didn’t mean his parents.

He wondered if Tony understood who Steve lost, if a part of him was happy about it. If so, there was a part of Tony Steve hated. “He was right in front of me, you know,” he started to speak. “Thanos. And I couldn’t do anything to stop him. I...” he stumbled over the words not sure what to say.

“Neither could I,” Tony nodded averting his eyes. “Neither could I.”

***

It were hours before Nebula returned to pick them up. “You need to come with me,” she said quietly.

Without much explanation, she led them towards the same cavern Steve and Tony were previously not allowed to enter. It was empty this time, with only two figures sitting next to the lake.

Gamora was awake now, a blanket thrown over her shoulders, and she was shivering slightly, wet hair sticking to her face. Next to her sat Rocket, holding one of his paws on her bare knee. His glanced at the newcomers once, before his attention returned to his friend. “These are the guys we met. They’re looking for Thanos too,” he told her.

Gamora narrowed her eyes. “I think, I can help you with that,” she said quietly, but there was wrath behind her words.

“Good,” Steve nodded. “He killed a lot of good people.”

She turned sharply towards him, her hands clenching the blanked closer to her chest. “But he didn’t, he failed,” she shook her head.

Steve exchanged a glance with Tony, noting the other man to be as confused as he was. “What?”

“The Soul Stone, I spoke with it,” Gamora frowned. “Or maybe it spoke with me. It was just for a second, but I could see everything, knew its thoughts. The Infinity Stones are not just some items you could use. They are alive, they are sentient, even if it's so much different than what we are.”

“Yeah, we kinda knew one of them personally,” Tony nodded. “Cool guy.”

“Huh? You made friends with an infinity stone?” Rocket surprised and Tony only shrugged in reply. “That’s not something you hear every day.”

“My father was worthy of their favor, but not all of the stones desired bringing death,” Gamora continued, ignoring the remarks. “Half of their joined consciousness wanted creation and so, instead of following Thanos’ will blindly, they split the universe in two. People you’ve lost, they aren’t dead.”

Steve felt his knees becoming weak, and he almost fell. He eyes went wider, and a gasp escaped him, echoing against the rock walls in the cavern. If what Gamora was saying was true, it meant Bucky was alive, Sam was alive too. “How do we get them back?”

And then Gamora’s eyes turned to the lake under her feet. There was barely any illumination in the room, but the faint blue glow from the water was enough to see her expression becoming darker. “I don’t think we can,” she shook her head. “If Soul Stone accomplished what it wanted, their power and will are gone too. The gauntlet contains all but empty shells now, like a battery that lost its charge.”

“Battery can be recharged,” Rocket proposed. “In fact, I know a place,” he winked.

“There is no source of power strong enough to do it. Or, at least, I’m not aware of one, I’m sorry.”

Steve felt his heart sink and he heard Tony growl. “But it also mean we can go against Thanos.”

“He has no stones to back him up now, but he is still strong,” Nebula offerend. “And he has allies, so I hope you have an army to lead.”

Tony chuckled at that. “No, but we have someone better,” he turned to look at Steve then, his expression determined. “We just need to, well, _reassemble_.”


End file.
